Recent Photos of Selfridge AFB, MI

Unfortunately, in this case, much of the former air-defense site has been demolished, including all the Air Force radar towers but one, the Air Force radar operations building, the original Air Force power-plant building, and the Army Nike Missile-Master building. The one remaining tower was for the AN/FPS-35 search radar.

Compare these to the 1962 aerial photo at http://www.radomes.org/museum/photos/more/SelfridgeAFBMIaerial1962.jpg (and others) to see where those structures once stood.

Also, for you Nike guys, both missile launch sites on the south side of the base are still intact. The IFC site, though, is gone.


Main site, looking East


Main site, looking South


Main site, looking West


Radar site, looking North


Radar site, looking West


FPS-35 tower, looking North


FPS-35 tower, looking East


FPS-35 tower, looking South


GATR site, looking North


GATR site, looking East


GATR site, looking South


GATR site, looking West


2009 photo source: http://www.defenseimagery.mil/

June 2006 photos contributed by Mark Foster


AN/FPS-35 tower


Site of the former Missile Master building (foreground).

April, 2002 photos


The RADAR tower, with a sign for the 127th Wing Comms building in the foreground.


The old RADAR building, now a radio site for misc. base ground/air & LMR net transceivers.


RADAR tower with the ARADCOM AADCP co-located with the 661st at the radar site - initially had an AN/FSG-1 Missile Master, followed by a TSQ-51 Missile Mentor building (now 127th Wing base comms) in the background.


Close up of the old 661st moniker, painted on the side of the RADAR tower.


One FAKER report too many, and interservice rivalry rears it's ugly head! Nike missile in foreground, Selfridge AFB Museum aircraft and FPS-35 tower in background.

March, 2002 photos & notes contributed by Tim Tyler

Yesterday, 19 MAR 02 I was at Selfridge ANGB for other reasons, and was able to spend a few min on a tasking that Tom & Gene had given me a couple months ago -- the former Selfridge Air Force Station Ground-Air Transmit-Receive (GATR) site, located about 2/3 of a mile W of the former AFS site.

Yes, both Selfridge AFS and it's GATR annex were located on what then was Selfridge AFB...

Selfridge AFB has been Selfridge Air National Guard Base since 1971, and is one of the few installations that has (at least up until recently) all 5 branches of the US Armed Forces there -- USAF, USN, AUSA, USMC, and USCG. Mark Morgan could have stayed on one single base for his entire military service! ;)

Selfridge does have a lot of history to it:

I haven't been to the Selfridge museum in over a decade, but I hope to get there in April when it opens for the season: http://www.selfridgeairmuseum.org/

Selfridge ANGB's main page is: http://www.miself.ang.af.mil/

Anyway, the because the base was on THREATCON BRAVO (yes, the sign still read THREATCON, not 'Force Protection Status' -- I guess the new moniker hasn't migrated down to the NG yet, hahaha), because the former GATR compound is in active use by the USG, and because I had a co-worker in my car while on base, I elected to NOT take any photos on base.

These photos were taken by me from OFF BASE, on the public access road that leads to the main gate. But next time I'm out there, we'll see...

The former GATR site is now Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, and home to a couple HH-65As which are very active performing SAR duties. From my home along the Detroit River in downtown Detroit, I see & hear one of them going by pretty much daily. Usually they're only about 600' away, and at eye-level (I live on the 23rd floor). Sometimes I've been amused to have to look DOWN out my window at them when they're doing training or on an active Detroit River SAR case.

AirSta Detroit's official web site is: http://www.uscg.mil/d9/cgasdet/cgasdetr.html but it hasn't been updated in FOUR YEARS. Semper Paratus indeed! ;)

AirSta Detroit used to be located on another part of the ANGB. My first 'adventure' on Selfridge was circa 1983, when myself and a buddy from high school (we were in the 11th grade) drove out there to poke around. We got on base by my telling the sentry we wanted to go to the Selfridge Museum. He let us on base, and to the great horror of my wimpy friend, I drove right past the museum (a hundred yards or so from the main gate) & proceeded to go sight-seeing around the base. The highlight was probably driving on the ramp area, alongside a bunch of USAF ARRS Jolly Greens (stupid, yes, but none were cranked up, and there was no sign of activity around them...) in my little brown Dodge Omni, until someone a ways off noticed us and started pointing at us. The quick getaway made us end up somehow at the CGAS section. I'm assuming they must have had the old H-3s at the time. We parked by the hangar, and simply walked around, eventually walking in to the CGAS Ops Department, where I proceded to talk to the enlisted Duty Controller about their HF radio system as he must of been wondering who the ^%$(@ CG officer was that told his kid he could just show up & explore...

ANYWAY, without further ado, here are the images. I'm sorry about the date-stamp thing. Not only does it look kind of obnoxious, but it's not even displaying the right date!! New camera...

The large HF antenna that you see is used by the AirSta to communicate with their helos when out of VHF/UHF radio range due to distance/altitude. It's used rarely, though they do monitor 8983/5692kHz USB all the time.

Contributed by Gene McManus & Tom Page

Notes corrected by Gene Heath
Our final stop on the Ohio State-Michigan fall 2000 road trip was at the Selfridge ANG Base, MI at the former 661st Radar Sqdn.


From the road leading to Selfridge ANGB, the old FPS-35 tower is clearly seen. Just in front (north) of it there is now a small aircraft museum. A C-130 was sitting about where the old FPS-26 once was. This photo shows all the comm antennas used for the ground-to-air comm for air traffic control at Selfridge. The equip is on the second floor , the rest of the floors are used for storage.


Another view south from Hall Road, across the air museum.


The -35 tower, with the unit number clearly visible. The Radomes-mobile is in the foreground.


The AN/FPS-35 tower looking west from old barracks, perhaps the BOQ. AN/FPS-26 height finder was behind buildings to the right.


The rubble of what we believe to have been the old Operations building and old generator power plant for the original site, is just south of the -35 tower. This has just been demolished. We could see cable troughs leading to the building, and some brown & black tile floors, but little else.


The Army Missile-Master building, with the -35 tower in the background. This building now houses the rapcon for the airfield which will be soon moved to another location. It has maintenance and admin offices for the Guard


East side and southeast corner view of the Missile Master building. Tom Page photo.


This building, now housing a communications squadron, sits across the street, south of the Missile Master building. This is the generator power plant building, which was used for the entire site, and was used until closure of the site. The equip was shipped to Panama where it corroded to death..

From the web site http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/hhquery.html
Photographer: Robert Benton, Nov 1995; Apr 1996

AN/FPS-6 Tower

AN/FPS-26 Tower